Seat Pleasant project aims to turn Blue Line corridor engagement into bus-shelter murals, park activations

Prince George's Arts & Humanities Council representative Bryant Moore presented a community-placemaking plan the council on June 2 that links Seat Pleasant to the Blue Line Corridor Coalition and seeks to convert momentum from last year’s Imagine Seat Pleasant event into public art, small-business activations and park improvements.

Moore said the county arts council and partners including LISC and the 20743 coalition used public surveys gathered at Imagine Seat Pleasant to shape priority projects. Among the proposals are a bus-shelter mural at Addison Road and Central Avenue, a “Fun and Fitness” park activation and phased art for Goodwin Park. Moore told the council the current grant funding includes up to $15,000 available for a community activation under a DHCD Community Placemaking grant; larger Maryland state public art grants of roughly $30,000–$50,000 may be pursued to fund implementation work.

The presentation emphasized the community-driven process the arts council said informed project ideas such as more healthy food options, walkable trails, youth programming, murals and streetscape safety. Moore said the bus-shelter installation is planned for this fall and that the artist selected years ago has prepared final designs and color options; she asked the council to indicate a preferred color scheme so the contractor can proceed toward a target installation date in November.

Council members discussed next steps and committee structure. Several members said they favored green-and-gold tones (described in the presentation files) for the bus shelter and indicated they wanted to form a small committee of council members and residents to oversee the community process. Moore said the DHCD grant requires the funds be spent by Dec. 31 for this cycle and recommended community meetings this summer to finalize a site and activation plan. She also said a bus-shelter pad already exists at the Addison Road site and that the city public works team would handle the site work necessary prior to installation.

Ownership and approvals became a central issue in council discussion. Council members and staff raised questions about who owns the wall targeted for a Fun and Fitness Park mural and whether county or private permission is required for several candidate locations, including a wall between two strip-mall storefronts and concrete abutments on the bridge near the Fun and Fitness site. Mayor Porter and city staff asked the city manager to confirm property ownership and whether a memorandum of understanding would be needed when murals would be placed on county- or privately owned surfaces; Council members also suggested prioritizing art on city-owned property to avoid delays.

Moore told the council the arts council can work with the city and Prince George’s County Public Schools on a separate ground mural for Seat Pleasant Elementary; that project needs different funding and a spring–fall installation window. She said the bus-shelter piece and the community activation could move more quickly because the artist and the placemaking plan are already in place.

Council president requested staff follow up with a written summary of ownership and permitting steps and a recommended committee roster; staff agreed to email the ownership findings to council members quickly. The council did not take a formal vote on the planning items but directed staff to return with a committee list and clarified next steps for color selection and any required MOUs.

Why this matters: the proposals aim to convert community engagement from a public event into visible streetscape projects and small-business supports along the Blue Line corridor. The DCHD placemaking grant provides short-term activation funding and a path to state-level public-art grants that could support permanent installations or larger construction work.

What’s next: staff will confirm property ownership for each candidate site and report back to council by email; if the council confirms a preferred color for the bus-shelter mural, the arts council and artist will move to production and coordinate a November installation timeline.